Monday, September 24, 2012

I have not written for a while but this time it was because I was busy with good things...well, most of them were good. The first...and most stressful was having our first tag sale here. Tag sales are a lot of work even when you are just selling off some of your own possessions that you no longer want. But I was dealing with things that had come from grandparents houses and stuff from when my siblings and I were growing up here. That takes a bit more thought as to value, especially sentimental value. I had to keep reminding myself that the goal was to get the stuff out of the house but not have it go in the landfill. Well, the first day I had some added stress when there were two accidents not even two minutes apart. This is a busy road and people drive too fast but with my overactive sense of guilt I felt that it was my fault for having the tag sale. I was much better when I found out that no one was seriously hurt. The next day we released some tension by getting very silly. My wonderful niece Jennifer started to 'decorate' me as I sat during a lull in customers. It started with simply putting artificial flower arrangements on me...

to full blown, 'let's play dress-up'; complete with set pieces. And when my sisters and I played dress up as kids it was either that we were getting married or tea parties...

I am ashamed (ok..not really) to say that my sister and I were acting so silly that we actually scared a new customer into running back to her car!!! It was a much needed laugh session.

After that I had four days to get ready for two craft shows and to go on the second "Felt in Nature" retreat at the Huyck Preserve in Rensselaerville, NY. I was so honored and excited to be asked by Sharon Costello to join the group of talented artists once again. It would take too long to fully describe what a wonderful and inspirational week it was. It was just what I needed on so many levels and I am truly grateful to have been able to have the experience. One of my favorite exercises that we did was to exchange prefelt pieces to put together into a new work. It is a wonderful symbol of the bond that forms when women get together to share their common passions...especially when felt is involved.

When I got home from the retreat I had just couple of days to get ready for Farm Fest, an annual fund raising event put on by a group that is preserving a fantastic barn that is within sight of our house. I show my felt AND do a feltmaking project with the children. Thankfully, I have lots of help from my family....we had so many kids come that we ran out of necklace kits within the first two hours and had to make more.

The next weekend I had a very successful show at the Suffield on the Green craft fair. It is always a good show and it is such a boost to hear all the wonderful comments on my work. It is an affermation that what I am doing has value beyond my own need to create...and helps pay for all that wool.
Here are some of the new pieces I made for the shows.

I am always asked if I give classes and I have often said I was planning on doing it someday. Well, that someday became a reality this past Saturday when I gave my first flower class here in my own 'studio'. It went well and the ladies had such a good time that they requested and arranged another class as a group...this one to make a more complicated flower. It shows that felt brings together more than fibers. For those that are interested in classes with me you can send an email to dchristianart@gmail.com
for further information.

About Me

Serendipity brought feltmaking into my life at a time when I needed to reconnect with the past and find a way to express my artistic side beyond my rigid dictionary illustration work. The softness of the fibers, the feel of the soapy water, the magic moment when the loose fibers become felt appealed to my unfulfilled need to use my fingers to manipulate the medium. It often feels as though I am just a facilitator for the art, as though the pieces have their own need to be created. There is a kind of conversation that flows from my mind and through my hands into the wool and back again, and during this exchange the questioning mind quiets. My landscapes reflect this sense of peace, creating worlds that invite the viewer to enter and rest in solitude. Through light and shade, the flowing organic lines, and the play of the varying colors the rush and rigidity of daily life falls away. The incredible range of techniques and materials that can be used in felting sustains my enthusiasm and the unpredictability of the way the fibers will blend has encouraged me to let go of the notion that a good artist is one that can render objects that appear realistic. Felting frees my soul.